Ibotta: 3 Ways to Earn Cash Back on Groceries and More!

Are you looking for an easy way to earn cash back on groceries and other everyday purchases? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to earn cash back without having to link your credit card or bank account to an app? Well, guess what… there is. It’s called Ibotta, and it’s one of my absolute favorite apps for earning cash back on things that I purchase everyday.

I don’t know about you, but so many cash back apps that I see require you to link your credit card number so that the app can automatically search for applicable rebates. Thanks, but no thanks. With all of the data breaches out there, I’m not quite comfortable with just giving my credit card number out willy-nilly. That’s why I use Ibotta!

*This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on the link I make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read more here.

I’m glad you asked! Ibotta is my most favorite app for earning cash back on groceries, clothing, home products, and more. And it’s super simple to use!

Three Ways to Earn Cash Back on Groceries with Ibotta:

1. Send Your Receipt

This is the Ibotta cash back method that I use most often. To get your cash back this way just follow these simple steps:

Find Offers –

To find offers, open the app and click on the bottom of the screen where it says “Find Offers”. Then, click on the category you want to bring up a list of all of the stores in that category. Or, you can just use the search bar at the top of the screen to find the store that you are going to (choose from 285 stores for receipt submission!).

Notice that you can also add your favorite stores to the top, so that you can find them quickly next time. After you click on a category, you will be taken to this screen:

Select the store that you are going to, and then you’ll see this screen:

Scroll down to see the huge list of rebates available at your selected store. Then, just click on the plus sign to add your chosen rebates to your saved offers. Couldn’t be easier!

Go Shopping –

Buy the products that you selected at the store that you selected. Forgot what offers you selected? No problem, just open the app and select “My Offers” at the bottom of the screen. All of your offers are right there!

Redeem Rebates –

Once you get home, open the app and click on “Redeem” at the bottom of the screen. This screen will come up. Then, choose which store you would like to submit a receipt for.

Once you choose the store, a small instruction screen like this one will come up:

Very important – Note that it says that you have a 7 day window for your date of purchase. Make sure that you submit your receipt on time for cash back on groceries! Also, be careful about the expiration dates of the individual offers! To see if you have any offers that are nearing their expiration dates, open the app and click “My Offers” at the bottom. This screen will come up:

Notice the little red box on the Pepsi offer and the red “Exp” date at the bottom. Make sure you redeem your receipt before your offers expire!

Okay, once you take a good clear photo, this screen will come up:

Select the items that are on the receipt that you just snapped a photo of. Notice that some offers can be redeemed more than once on the same receipt (like the Freschetta pizza above). If you bought more than one pizza, click the “+” so you get credit for all of your pizzas. After you’ve selected all of the rebates that you are redeeming, you will be able to press the “Add Purchases” button at the bottom. Then, you’ll get a confirmation screen that Ibotta has received your rebates and will deposit your cash back into your account! Yeah for free money!

Get Cash Back on Groceries –

Ibotta deposits your cash into your Ibotta account within 48 hours. Once you’ve accumulated $20, you can request payment by Paypal, Venmo, or you can purchase a gift card through the app (some gift cards require a minimum of $25). Note that if you use the gift card method, you will receive an e-gift card via email. To see your available cash, open the app and click “Account” at the bottom. Your earnings will be at the top of the next screen.

**Side Note – Ibotta suggests that you search the app and find offers before you go to the store, but most of the time I do this when I get home. Super simple… just follow the steps above to search for items that you have already bought!

2. Link a Loyalty Card

Want to skip the picture taking part of the cash back process? Then, you can link your store loyalty cards (for select stores only) to your account to get your cash back on groceries.

Is my store eligible for loyalty card linking?

To find out if your store is a “Preferred Partner”, go to “Find Offers”, then “Grocery”, then “All” at the top of the screen. Scroll through the HUGE list of available stores and tap on your favorite. Once you are on the screen for your favorite store, if you see an image of a card and “Use Card”, or if you are prompted to enter your loyalty card number, then that store is a Preferred Partner. No picture taking required!

Find Offers –

Follow the steps above for finding offers and loading them to your Ibotta account.

Go Shopping –

Go shopping at the store that you selected in the app. Be sure that you have loaded all of your rebates to your account before heading to the check out to get your cash back on groceries.

Use Your Loyalty Card at Check Out –

Very important – to get your cash back on groceries with a loyalty card, you must add all of your offers to your account before you check out, and then use your matched loyalty card at check out! Once you give the cashier your loyalty card, Ibotta will automatically receive your receipt electronically and review it for your credits.

3. Mobile In-App Purchases

Have some online shopping to do? Want to earn cash back on your online purchases? Do your online shopping through the Ibotta app to get cash back on internet purchases also!

Find Participating Mobile Apps –

To see a list of participating online retailers, tap on “Find Offers” from the home screen. Then, from the “Browse by Category” screen, select “Mobile Shopping”. Then, this screen will come up:

Scroll through the HUGE list of online retailers. There are a TON to choose from!

Let’s say for example that you want to get a great restaurant deal at Groupon. Click on “Groupon” from the list of mobile shopping options. Then you’ll see a screen like this:

If you scroll down, all of the available cash back rebates will be listed. And look! You can get 4% cash back on your Groupon restaurant deal (which is probably already half-off of your restaurant bill because it’s Groupon!)! Savings on top of savings! Score!

Just click on the “Shop” button and Ibotta will automatically take you to Groupon.com to make your purchase. No need to do anything else! Since you opened Groupon through the Ibotta app, Ibotta will automatically credit your account with your cash back after you complete your Groupon purchase. So easy!

I’ve used the Ibotta app to get cash back on a hotel deal for a super fun waterpark resort. The regular rate for the room with all of the waterpark passes was $219.00. Groupon had the room available for a rate of $169.00. Plus, since I booked the room through the Groupon site by clicking through from my Ibotta app, I got an extra 4% cash back – $6.76. So, after it was all said and done, I got a $219 hotel room with 4 water park passes for only $162.24 + tax. That’s a savings of over$56.00!

It pays to use Ibotta!

So are you ready to sign up for Ibotta and start earning cash back today! If so, click here! Plus, when you use my link, you get a $10 welcome bonus after your redeem your first rebate (not including “Any Brand” offers).

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